Throttle Booster?

Hey everyone, my brother uses a throttle booster or "Go-Pedal" on his Fiat Abarth and he claims it is his favorite modification yet (And he has thousands and thousands of dollars into it).
So I found this today, and was wondering if I am the first to see this or if someone may have already bought it and can tell me if it works well?
http://thmotorsports.com/buddy-club/buddy-club-ethrottle-booster/bc04etbf106f/i-287484.aspx

I am wanting to start the mods, but also want to be safe.

Sounds like an easy way to void your warranty.

There's literally nothing this can do for $400 that you can't do by pressing down on the pedal faster. Can't remember the last time I saw a more gimmicky car related item.

camhabib said:

There's literally nothing this can do for $400 that you can't do by pressing down on the pedal faster. Can't remember the last time I saw a more gimmicky car related item.

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I have to disagree. The Go Pedal I had on my Dart did not just make it seem like I was pressing the pedal harder, but it got rid of some of the jerky feel as I stepped on the gas. And as for warranty, I know the Go Pedal I used before was easy to install and take out. Plus, I have a great relationship with the dealerships in my town and they always take care of me, as long as the mods are not significant.

ICanLiftACivicUp said:

Sounds like an easy way to void your warranty.

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+1

My throttle is boosted when I turn off the econ mode.

I have one of these on another car, but it's a manual. It would make the CVT very jerky. As for there being no benefit to these, that's not true. On my other car, it will rev in neutral, and without any delay to the throttle input, faster than I could with my foot. I just don't think it would be a good match with the auto unless you like blasting around. It makes driving an underpowered car a lot easier and more fun once you get used to it. Maybe the 2.0 manual would be a better fit for one when/if they become available.

This is something I would never consider. I'm driving a Civic on public streets. What's the point?

This will not imporve the performance potential of your car at all. All it does is give you the ability to adjust throttle response. This is something you can do with your brain, your butt, and your right foot. It's just a gimmick designed to part you from your money.

pwschuh said:

This will not imporve the performance potential of your car at all. All it does is give you the ability to adjust throttle response. This is something you can do with your brain, your butt, and your right foot. It's just a gimmick designed to part you from your money.

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Not really. Products like this and Sprint Booster moves up the entire throttle curve and reduces the dead space in the first initial parts of the throttle.

OK, but why would I need this when driving on public streets? For the cost involved I think a dash cam would get me a better bang for the buck.

We're talking about a ~175HP car here. If you really can't seem to control the torque curve or power on this car, you should just stop driving. Yes, I get the appeal of this; many cars have a "Sport" and "Sport+" mode that change the throttle mapping, make it more responsive, etc, but as anyone who's spent time racing will tell you, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference push come to shove. Similarly, on the street, that "dead spot" is called turbo lag. If you map the throttle to get rid of that, you're just going to go from lag to jerk as the turbo all of a sudden spools up and shoots you forward. And what happens when this malfunctions and your car goes WOT?

Like I said, it's a gimmick. Not in the sense that it doesn't do what it claims to do, but that using this is a lot like adding a huge spoiler to the back so you get that extra 1lbs of downforce when you're driving home at 65mph - useless.

I am not sure why anyone would want this at the expense of fuel economy and drivability. Advancing the TPS can result in non-linear engagement of the cruise control and other functions that rely on its position. Most aren't going to throw away $375+ unless other ECU parameters can be edited. This is especially true in low output platforms where the throttle isn't restricted at lower speeds, in order to prevent wheel spin.

IMHO, wait for a real tuning solution to hit the market. One that provides a "true" performance benefit.

Tegster said:

Not really. Products like this and Sprint Booster moves up the entire throttle curve and reduces the dead space in the first initial parts of the throttle.

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Yes really. "Move up the entire throttle curve" is the same as "adjusting the throttle response" which is what I said it did. And it's a gimmick for people who like to spend money on gimmicks. It zero impact on the ultimate performance potential of the car.